Milford location approved for medical marijuana

Friday

Jan 31, 2014 at 11:28 AMJan 31, 2014 at 10:19 PM

Milford made the cut for one of the first licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in the state on Friday, but five applicants from Framingham, one from Shrewsbury and a pair from Franklin came up stone cold.

By Matt Tota and Danielle AmedenDaily News staff

Milford made the cut for one of the first licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in the state on Friday, but five applicants from Framingham, one from Shrewsbury and a pair from Franklin came up stone cold.

The state Department of Public Health, through the Massachusetts Medical Use of Marijuana Program, on Friday granted 20 provisional licenses to non-profit companies chosen during a competitive selection process that began last summer. They were chosen from a pool of 100 applicants.

Bay State Relief Inc. received a provisional license to set up shop at 13 Commercial Way in Milford.

The state picked four communities in Middlesex County to host dispensaries, issuing provisional licenses in Newton, Cambridge, Lowell and Ayer, but not Framingham. Besides Milford, Worcester County had one other selection, Good Chemistry of Massachusetts, Inc, in Worcester. And though two applicants showed interested in Franklin, they were not among those chosen for Norfolk County.

"It is a bit of surprise," said Framingham Town Manager Robert Halpin, who said he "fully expected" the state would have selected one of the five applicants in town.

"I'm at a loss," said David Safaii, one of the five who made it through Phase II of the state's licensing process but didn't make the cut for a provisional license.

Under the state's scoring system, Safaii's team received 83 out of a possible 163 points, based on criteria such as finances, management experience and location.

In a conference call with reporters, Karen van Unen, director of the medical marijuana program, said her office will meet with the 20 companies to review their plans, such as how they'll comply with local regulations.

After a final DPH inspection, they will receive their full licenses.

Bay State Relief Inc. plans to build out the 5-year-old, 24,940-square-foot property, adding rooms for a cultivation wing. In its application submitted to the state, the company said it could be ready to open in September.

According to the application, the company estimates it will spend about $4.9 million in the first year on operations and construction, while collecting about $4.8 million in revenue. The company wrote that it expects to produce 50 to 75 pounds of marijuana each month in year one.

Its website, baystaterelief.org, launched Friday.

Bay State Relief executive director Armand Riendeau, a registered nurse and respiratory therapist, expressed pride "to be a part of this new chapter in Massachusetts history."

"Our mission at Bay State Relief is to provide safe and compassionate access to high-­quality medicine, with individualized care and attention to qualified patients," Riendeau said in a statement. "We have assembled a team of professionals who bring the skills and experience necessary to fulfill this mission."

Like the other applicants, Bay State Relief had to undergo a rigorous selection process with a scoring system.

The state selection committee gave the company high scores in several categories, such as business experience, corporate background, location and security plans, with it earning 137 points out of a possible 163.

In addition, Bay State Relief had to pass a background check conducted by an investigative firm and demonstrate that it had local support.

The Milford Board of Health in November passed medical marijuana regulations, including creating a local license.

"We have to get together an application for them, because we require that the dispensary get a local license from us," said Paul Mazzuchelli, Milford's health agent. "We can dictate certain things, for instance the sale of the product has to be a face-to-face transaction."

Mazzuchelli said town officials hope to work closely with Bay State Relief as it builds its new business.

"Education and awareness are important factors," he said. "We want them to succeed."

"It's very new," he added of the industry. "We'd be the pioneers of it for this area. It's a learning process for everybody involved."

In November 2012, 63 percent of voters approved a ballot legalizing medical marijuana for sale and use.

The law authorized state health officials to approve up to 35 companies for licenses to open cultivation centers and dispensaries, with at least one but no more than five per county.

Framingham Town Meeting last year sent a clear message it welcomed the pot industry to town, rejecting both a proposed moratorium and zoning regulations intended to limit where the shops and grow houses could go.

Taking a neutral stance, town leaders met with applicants but didn't issue letters of support to give any of them a slight edge. "We just made a decision that we wouldn't do that," Halpin said.

Safaii, who planned to open his dispensary on Cochituate Road, said he and the other applicants were at a disadvantage because they couldn't demonstrate community support.

"I do hope that the town of Framingham does have the ability to achieve a license at one point and we remain hopeful that we could be a candidate if the opportunity does present itself," he said.

The state turned down three separate proposals from applicants who proposed to grow marijuana – and one who wanted to sell it - on Bowditch Drive in Shrewsbury.

The 20 companies will open in 19 cities and towns spread across 10 counties. Eight other non-profits were invited to choose a new location for their business within the four counties that do not have approved dispensaries: Berkshire, Dukes, Franklin and Nantucket.

Van Unen, director of the DPH program, said the selection committee will review the applicants who wish to reapply. The 72 companies that fell short will be given the option to learn why, said van Unen, but not to reapply.

"(We) envision this to be an abbreviated process, launching within the next few weeks," she said, adding that the new selections would be announced in June.

Van Unen projects that 120,000 to 130,000 patients will use the medical marijuana program over the next two years.

Danielle Ameden can be reached at 508-626-4416 or dameden@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @damedenMW. Matt Tota can be reached at 508-634-7521 or mtota@wickedlocal.com.

A complete list of companies that were approved and not approved is available on the DPH website.

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